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Do Not Fear

             So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)

 Yesterday, my neighbor talked about the old saw of “God won’t give you more than you can handle,” and expressed her doubts about the idea. I responded that it was not true. If God only gave us what we could handle, we’d have no need for God. The whole idea is that we walk through what we can’t handle with Him. That conversation fits nicely with today’s verse. We’re not to not fear because it’s not as tough as it seems, and we’re guaranteed that we can handle it, we’re to not fear because He is with us.

Similarly, we’re not to dismay (be filled with consternation of distress) because He’s not just with us, but He’s God – our God. One of the sad things about the pantheons of gods is that they don’t really have control. If Zeus wants something to happen, there’s always the possibility that his wife or one of his children will get in the way or vice versa. The fact that God is your God and is the only God means that you don’t have to worry about someone getting in His way.

However, the next line is not, “I will make everything easy,” or “I will solve all your problems.” It is that He will strengthen you. Strength often comes from resistance. You build muscle by lifting heavy weights. God can miraculously strengthen us, but that’s a short-term solution. The goal is that we become strong. He will help us but not do it for us.

And He will uphold you with His righteous right hand. In order for Him to do that, you must be righteous and do what is righteous. If He upholds you indefinitely and you aren’t righteous and don’t even want to be righteous, eventually, He would no longer be righteous, gracious, loving, kind, or just because He would be complicit in your sin or negligent in His love.

Instead, He works all things for our good and for the good of everyone else. 

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